5/11/2021 Achieve3000: Lesson

Printed by: Caroline Cashion

Printed on: May 11, 2021

A New Day for DACA

Article

RED BANK, New Jersey (Achieve3000, April 12, 2021). After years of
living in the United States, could they really be sent away from their
friends? Their schools? Their homes?

In 2017, Reyna Montoya and other undocumented immigrants shared these

fears. Former President Donald Trump wanted to end DACA. DACA stands
for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This government program
protects some undocumented immigrants from being sent away. They had
to have come to the United States as children. Montoya was 10 when her
family moved to the U.S. from Mexico. At first, she spoke little English. But
she went on to finish high school and college. She then became a teacher. Photo credit: Diego Lozano/Aliento
Reyna Montoya speaks during a
On January 20, 2021, Montoya and some 800,000 other undocumented demonstration in Arizona. Montoya
immigrants gave a sigh of relief. They had lived through four years of court was 10 when her family left Mexico to
battles and political clashes. But on his first day in office, President Joe start a new life in the U.S.
Biden signed an order. He promised to keep DACA and make it stronger.

"It's a huge step in the right direction," Montoya said.

DACA was created in 2012. It protects young undocumented immigrants from being forced to leave the U.S. It also
guarantees them the right to work. But they must meet certain rules. These immigrants must have come to the U.S.
before age 16. They must have stayed in the U.S. since 2007. And they could not be older than 30 when DACA started.
A background check is also required.

Today, the people protected by DACA are young adults. Most have become helpful members of their communities. A
national study found that more than 90 percent of them have jobs. They are doctors, nurses, soldiers, and food workers.
And they've done important work during the Covid-19 crisis. About 27,000 serve as healthcare workers.

But not everyone approves of DACA. Some people say it's wrong to protect undocumented immigrants. They argue that
these immigrants broke the law. And letting them stay lets them get away with it.

Still, most Americans support the aims of DACA. A 2018 study found 73 percent of Americans favored letting
undocumented immigrants who came as children stay in the U.S.

But Congress needs to make new laws to really fix things. In fact, lawmakers have tried and failed to pass the DREAM
Act several times. That law would protect immigrants like Reyna Montoya from ever being forced to leave. It may also
clear the way for them to become U.S. citizens.

For undocumented immigrants who consider America home, that would be a big relief. They would know at last that they
are home safe.

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5/11/2021 Achieve3000: Lesson
Think about and discuss these questions:

Describe new insights or understandings you have after reading this Article.

What information in the Article do you want to learn more about? Where do you think you could find that information?

Dictionary

crisis (noun) a time of trouble

defer (verb) to put off

guarantee (verb) to promise

political (adjective) having to do with government

undocumented immigrant (noun) a person who moves to a new country without permission from the country's government

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